Oremus for Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Martin of Tours
Martin, one of the patron saints of France, was born about 330 at Sabaria, the modern Szombathely in Hungary. His early years were spent in Pavia in Italy. After a term of service in the Roman army, he traveled about Europe, and finally settled in Poitiers, whose bishop, Hilary, he had come to admire. According to an old legend, while Martin was still a catechumen, he was approached by a poor man, who asked for alms in the name of Christ. Martin, drawing his sword, cut off part of his military cloak and gave it to the beggar. On the following night, Jesus appeared to Martin, clothed in half a cloak, and said to him, “Martin, a simple catechumen, covered me with this garment.”
Hilary ordained Martin to the presbyterate sometime between 350 and 353, and Martin, inspired by the new monastic movement stemming from Egypt, established a hermitage at nearby Ligugé. To his dismay, he was elected Bishop of Tours in 372. He agreed to serve only if he were allowed to continue his strict, ascetic habit of life. His monastery of Marmoutier, near Tours, had a great influence on the development of Celtic monasticism in Britain, where Ninian, among others, promoted Martin’s ascetic and missionary ideals. The oldest church in Canterbury, which antedates the Anglo-Saxon invasions, is dedicated to St. Martin.
Martin was unpopular with many of his episcopal colleagues, both because of his manner of life and because of his strong opposition to their violent repression of heresy. He was a diligent missionary to the pagan folk of the countryside near his hermitage, and was always a staunch defender of the poor and the helpless. Martin died on November 11, 397. His shrine at Tours became a popular site for pilgrimages, and a secure sanctuary for those seeking protection and justice. ^HWHM

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/39panrbd

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life. John 8

Merciful God,
refuge in times of trouble,
our only hope in living,
and our only salvation in dying:
keep us in your care,
that we may always praise you
and faithfully proclaim your name before the nations;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. ^BCW2018

Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5

O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!

HYMN: Psalm 37; para. Michael Perry ©
Tune: Mendon https://tinyurl.com/2u6cj7kh

1 Commit your way to God the Lord:
your cause will shine as bright as fire;
delight to do God’s holy word
and you shall find what you desire.

2 Be still before the Lord and wait,
and do not fret when wrong succeeds;
refrain from anger, turn from hate,
for God will punish evil deeds.

3 Salvation comes from God alone:
the faithful know their help is sure;
to heaven, all our needs are known,
and in God’s strength we are secure.

4 Commit your way to God the Lord;
to peace and truth and grace aspire;
then mercy shall be your reward;
God’s promises, your heart’s desire.

PSALMS

Psalm 56 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y89cbz8u)
1  Be merciful unto me, O God, for man goeth about to devour me *
 he is daily fighting, and troubling me.
2  Mine enemies are daily in hand to swallow me up *
 for they be many that fight against me, O thou most Highest.
3  Nevertheless, though I am sometime afraid *
 yet put I my trust in thee.
4  I will praise God, because of his word *
 I have put my trust in God, and will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5  They daily mistake my words *
 all that they imagine is to do me evil.
6  They hold all together, and keep themselves close *
 and mark my steps, when they lay wait for my soul.
7  Shall they escape for their wickedness *
 thou, O God, in thy displeasure shalt cast them down.
8  Thou tellest my flittings ; put my tears into thy bottle *
 are not these things noted in thy book?
9  Whensoever I call upon thee,
then shall mine enemies be put to flight *
 this I know; for God is on my side.
10  In God’s word will I rejoice *
 in the Lord’s word will I comfort me.
11  Yea, in God have I put my trust *
 I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12  Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows *
 unto thee will I give thanks.
13  For thou hast delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling *
 that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 57 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yb9ln9xn)
1  Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me,
for my soul trusteth in thee *
 and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge,
until this tyranny be over-past.
2  I will call unto the most high God *
 even unto the God that shall perform the cause which I have in hand.
3  He shall send from heaven *
 and save me from the reproof of him that would eat me up.
4  God shall send forth his mercy and truth *
 my soul is among lions.
5  And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire *
 whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
6  Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
 and thy glory above all the earth.
7  They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul *
 they have digged a pit before me,
and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.
8  My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed *
 I will sing, and give praise.
9  Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp *
 I myself will awake right early.
10  I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
 and I will sing unto thee among the nations.
11  For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens *
 and thy truth unto the clouds.
12  Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
 and thy glory above all the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 58 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y79vycco)
1  Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation *
 and do ye judge the thing that is right, O ye sons of men?
2  Yea, ye imagine mischief in your heart upon the earth *
 and your hands deal with wickedness.
3  The ungodly are froward, even from their mother’s womb *
 as soon as they are born, they go astray, and speak lies.
4  They are as venomous as the poison of a serpent *
 even like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ears;
5  Which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer *
 charm he never so wisely.
6  Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths;
smite the jaw-bones of the lions, O Lord *
 let them fall away like water that runneth apace;
and when they shoot their arrows let them be rooted out.
7  Let them consume away like a snail,
and be like the untimely fruit of a woman *
 and let them not see the sun.
8  Or ever your pots be made hot with thorns *
 so let indignation vex him, even as a thing that is raw.
9  The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance *
 he shall wash his footsteps in the blood of the ungodly.
10  So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous *
 doubtless there is a God that judgeth the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 56 (Gregorian Tone II.1)

1 Be merciful to me, O God,
for my adversaries are treading me down; *
they are daily fighting and troubling me.
2 My enemies go about hounding me daily, *
for there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Nevertheless, though I am sometimes afraid, *
yet I put my trust in you.
4 In God whose word I praise,
in God I trust and fear not, *
for what can flesh do to me?
5 They daily distort my words; *
all that they imagine is to do me evil.
6 They all gather together and lie in wait, *
and mark my steps, while they seek after my life.
7 Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God, in your displeasure cast them down.
8 You record my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle. *
Are not these things noted in your book?
9 Whenever I call upon you,
then shall my enemies be put to flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.
10 In God, whose word I praise, *
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God have I put my trust; *
I will not be afraid, for what can mortals do to me?
12 Unto you, O God, will I pay my vows; *
unto you will I give thanks.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death
and my feet from stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 57 (Gregorian Tone II.1)

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for my soul trusts in you, *
and under the shadow of your wings shall be my refuge,
until this tribulation has passed.
2 I will call unto the Most High God, *
even unto the God who shall fulfill his purpose for me.
3 He shall send from heaven and save me;
he shall confound those who trample on me. *
God shall send forth his mercy and truth.
4 My soul is among lions that devour the people; *
their teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Exalt yourself, O God, above the heavens; *
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They have laid a net for my feet,
and brought down my soul; *
they dug a pit before me,
but have fallen into the midst of it themselves.
7 My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; *
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, my soul; awake, lute and harp; *
I myself will awaken the dawn.
9 I will give thanks unto you, O Lord, among the peoples, *
and I will sing praises unto you among the nations.
10 For the greatness of your mercy reaches unto the heavens, *
and your truth unto the clouds.
11 Exalt yourself, O God, above the heavens; *
let your glory be over all the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 58 (Gregorian Tone II.1)

1 Do you indeed decree righteousness, O you rulers, *
and do you judge uprightly, O children of men?
2 No, you devise evil in your heart, *
and on the earth your hands deal out violence.
3 The ungodly err even from their mother’s womb; *
as soon as they are born, they go astray and speak lies.
4 They are as venomous as the poison of a serpent, *
even like the deaf adder that stops its ears,
5 Which refuses to hear the voice of the charmer, *
no matter how skillful his charming.
6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths; *
smite the jawbones of the ungodly.
7 Let them fall away like water that runs off; *
let them wither like the grass that is trodden underfoot.
8 Let them melt away like a snail, *
and be like a stillborn child that does not see the sun.
9 Before they bear fruit, let them be cut off like a briar; *
let them be like thorns and weeds that are swept away.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when they see the vengeance; *
they shall wash their feet in the blood of the ungodly.
11 So that people shall say,
“Truly, there is a reward for the righteous; *
surely, there is a God who judges the earth.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

PRAYER

Merciful God, righteous judge,
give us the wisdom to perceive your Spirit in others,
and to examine our own conduct;
so that on the great and final day
we may approach you not with fear
but with trust in your boundless compassion;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. ^BCW2018

THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Jeremiah 30:18-24
The Lord proclaims:
I will restore Jacob’s tents
and have pity on their birthplace.
Their city will be rebuilt on its ruins
and the palace in its rightful place.
There will be laughter
and songs of thanks.
I will add to their numbers
so they don’t dwindle away.
I will honor them
so they aren’t humiliated.
Their children will thrive as they did long ago,
and their community will be established before me.
I will punish their oppressors.
They will have their own leader;
their ruler will come from among them.
I will let him approach me,
and he will draw near.
Who would dare approach me
unless I let them come?
declares the Lord.
You will be my people,
and I will be your God.

Look! The Lord’s anger breaks out like a violent storm,
a fierce wind that strikes the heads of the wicked.
The Lord’s fierce anger won’t turn back
until God’s purposes are entirely accomplished.
In the days to come,
you will understand what this means.

HYMN: Fanny Crosby
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/ys9h3m95

1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]

3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]

4 There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]

READING: Revelation 21:1-8
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring. Those who emerge victorious will inherit these things. I will be their God, and they will be my sons and daughters. But for the cowardly, the faithless, the vile, the murderers, those who commit sexual immorality, those who use drugs and cast spells, the idolaters and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

HYMN: George Matheson
Tune: St Margaret https://tinyurl.com/2tw5rbka

1. O love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

2. O Light that follows all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

3. O Joy that seekest me thru’ pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow thru’ the rain
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.

4. O cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

READING: Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with skin diseases approached him. Keeping their distance from him, they raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, show us mercy!”

When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they left, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he had been healed, returned and praised God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus replied, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? No one returned to praise God except this foreigner?” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

CANTICLE Deuteronomy 32:1-12

Give ear, O heavens, while I speak;
let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth!
May my instruction soak in like the rain,
and my discourse permeate like the dew,
Like a downpour upon the grass,
like a shower upon the crops:
For I will sing the Lord’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock – how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
A faithful God, without deceit,
how just and upright he is!
Yet basely has he been treated by his degenerate children,
a perverse and crooked race!
Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you,
O stupid and foolish people?
Is he not your father who created you?
Has he not made you and established you?
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you:
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of God;
While the Lord’s own portion was Jacob,
His hereditary share was Israel.
He found them in a wilderness,
a wasteland of howling desert.
He shielded them and cared for them,
guarding them as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle incites its nestlings forth
by hovering over its brood,
So he spread his wings to receive them
and bore them up on his pinions.
The Lord alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.

THE PRAYERS ^{COS, alt.}
God of faith and love,
by your grace alone
we are called to be your people.
As members of the Christian family in this place,
we pray for the whole Church of Jesus Christ.
Take from us all that disrupts our unity,
and make us faithful in your service.
May we so live in Christ and he in us,
that we may be his body in the world today.

We pray for the world which you love,
and for which Christ gave his life.
Guide the leaders of the nations
and all who strive for peace and justice.
Look in mercy on all who are powerless,
and shelter those who are homeless,
hungry, or oppressed.
Help us to care for our neighbours
and to cherish the life of your creation,
that your will may be done on earth.

We pray for our nation.
Grant that none in our land
may be despised or rejected,
and that your kingdom of love may prevail.
We pray for those in need,
for ill or distressed people,
and for those who draw near to death.
In the name of him who bears our griefs
and carries our sorrows,
bring them your comfort and peace.

We give you thanks
for all who have departed this life in faith.
Keep us with them in communion
with Christ our risen Lord,
and bring us at the last with all your saints
to eat and drink
in the glory of your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ,
to whom with you, Father, and the Holy Spirit,
be praise and honour for ever. Amen.

(Karin Simmons: https://tinyurl.com/y7vwp7dd)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Everloving God,
you called Martin from military service
to be a bishop in your church;
may we, following the example of his compassion,
care for the needy
and deal gently with all people,
that we may be clothed with righteousness;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. ^FATS

Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14

---

^BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.

^BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018

^COS Common Order, © 1994 Church of Scotland

^FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014

^HWHM Holy Women, Holy Men © 2010 The Church Pension Fund.

The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.

The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of the psalms are from Book of Common Prayer (2019), the version sung in the St Bernard Breviary https://www.bernardbreviary.com/chant-helps. The canticle is from Liturgy of the Hours as recorded for the Sing the Hours YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/SingtheHours

Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.

Compilation © 2025 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.